Contu’s research interest lies in understanding the mechanisms behind genetic diseases, which ultimately leads to   the development of novel gene therapeutics.​

Contu is a CSIR postdoctoral researcher in bioengineering and integrated genomics. She obtained her PhD in 2021 at the University of Bern, Switzerland, where she worked on virus-host interplays, investigating how host cellular quality control mechanisms can act as a first line of defence against viruses. She also gained expertise in CRISPRgene editing technologies and is using her practical experience to implement new strategies to help accelerate and streamline genome engineering projects that are foundational to the bioengineering and integrated genomics group lab. She is currently working on a collaborative project with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases to determine whether a single nucleotide polymorphism identified in a South African elite controller of HIV contributes to protection against HIV.​

Expertise: CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, molecular biology; biochemistry; virus-host interplays; cellular quality control mechanisms​
 

More publications:

• Contu L, Balistreri G, Domanski M, Uldry AC, Mühlemann O. (2021) Characterisation of the Semliki Forest virus-host cell interactome reveals the viral capsid protein as an inhibitor of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, PLoS Pathogens, 17(5):e1009603​
• Contu L, Steiner S, Thiel V, Mühlemann, O. (2019) The role of stress granules and the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathway in antiviral defence, Chimia, 73(5):374-379​
• Annibaldis G, Domanski, M, Dreos R, Contu L, Carl S, Kläy N, Mühlemann O. (2020) Readthrough of stop codons under limiting ABCE1 concentration involves frameshifting and inhibits nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, Nucleic Acids Research, 48(18):10259-10279​
• Nasif S, Contu L, Mühlemann O. (2018) Beyond quality control: The role of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) in regulating gene expression, Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology, 75:78-87.​
• de la Mare J, Contu L, Hunter MC, Moyo B, Sterrenberg JN, Mutsvunguma, LZ, Dhanani KCH, and Edkins, AL. (2014) Breast cancer: current developments in molecular approaches to diagnosis and treatment, Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery, 9(2):153-175.​
• Willmer T, Contu L, Blatch GL, Edkins AL. (2013) Knockdown of Hop downregulates RhoC expression, and decreases pseudopodia formation and migration in cancer cell lines, Cancer Letters, 328(2):252-260.